NEW ORLEANS — The Heat’s 27-game winning streak may be over, but they aren’t ready to stop terrorizing the rest of the NBA quite yet. The Heat still own the league’s best record and have the league’s best player, and they were out to prove a point on Friday night.
The Heat actually looked better against the Hornets than they did in the waning games of their incredible streak, actually starting the game off strong despite the absence of Mario Chalmers, taking a double-digit lead at the end of the first quarter, and never looking back.
LeBron James was an absolute house of fire. It was the kind of game that I, quite frankly, am just glad to have witnessed in person. With just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter, James teed up an in-rhythm three, and drained it. Then, on the next two possessions, he pulled up for two more threes, and hit two more threes. Instead of taking his customary rest to start the second quarter, LeBron stayed on the floor, and continued to rain sulfur on the Hornets.
He made a three on the Heat’s first possession of the second quarter, then pulled up with his foot on the line in transition...and drained that too. Then, on the next possession, everyone knew LeBron was going to shoot until he missed...and he drained the three anyways. Then he pumped the crowd up, successfully. To be clear, the Heat were on the road. On the next possession, he drove, pulled up, launched, and hit, then hit one more heat-check three for god measure. When the dust had settled, LeBron had made eight long jumpers in a row, six threes in a row, scored 23 points in five and a half minutes, and the Heat were up by 20, and it never really got competitive after that. When the best player in the world gets it going like that, there’s nothing you can do.
(Monty Williams wasn’t as impressed as some by LeBron’s performance: when asked after the game if LeBron’s performance was “Jordanesque,” Williams said “No. Michael played against men. LeBron is playing against little boys.”
The Heat didn’t let up on the gas pedal after LeBron cracked the game wide open, bearing down on the Hornets’ pick-and-roll sets, keeping Anthony Davis frustrated and in foul trouble, and generally keeping the Hornets from getting into anything resembling a groove all night long.
The Heat’s streak might be over, but everyone knows that ring #2 was always more important to this team than win #34, and on Friday night Miami showed why they’re still the favorites to get the former.
